Virgin Galactic Restarts Space-Trip Sales At $450,000 And Up

The ticket window is open again for space flights at Virgin Galactic, with prices starting at $450,000 a seat.

The space-tourism company said Thursday it is making progress toward beginning revenue flights next year. It will sell single seats, package deals and entire flights.

Virgin Galactic announced the offerings as it reported Thursday that it lost $94 million in the second quarter on soaring costs for overhead and sales. The company posted revenue of $571,000, barely enough to cover one seat on a future flight.

The company’s most noteworthy recent achievement came last month, after the quarter ended, when founder Richard Branson and five crewmates soared to 53.5 miles (86 kilometers) above the New Mexico desert.

CEO Michael Colglazier said the company resumed sales on Thursday to take advantage of a surge in consumer interest after the flight by Branson, who beat rival billionaire Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origin ship into space by nine days.

The company based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, won regulatory approval in June to fly people into space.

Virgin Galactic said “early hand-raisers” will get first priority to book seats, and another list will be created for new customers.

The company’s next spaceflight is scheduled for late September in New Mexico with the Italian air force.

Virgin Galactic said it ended the quarter with cash and equivalents totaling $552 million.

The results were released after the stock market closed. The company’s shares were up nearly 5% in after-hours trading.

Travelore News: Virgin Atlantic Airline Files For US Bankruptcy Protection

NEW YORK (AP) — Virgin Atlantic, the airline founded by British businessman Richard Branson, filed Tuesday for protection in U.S. bankruptcy court as it tries to survive the virus pandemic that is hammering the airline industry.

The airline made the Chapter 15 filing in U.S. federal bankruptcy court in New York after a proceeding in the United Kingdom.

A spokeswoman for Virgin Atlantic said the bankruptcy filing is part of a court process in the United Kingdom to carry out a restructuring plan that the airline announced last month. The process is supported by a majority of the airline’s creditors, and the company hopes to emerge from the process in September, she said.

A Virgin Atlantic lawyer said in a court filing that the company needs an order from a U.S. court to make terms of the restructuring apply in the U.S.

The airline is primarily a long-haul operator, including flights between the U.K. and the U.S. It stopped flying in April due to the pandemic and only resumed flights in July. It closed a base at London’s Gatwick Airport and cut about 3,500 jobs.

Branson appealed to the British government for financial help earlier this year — even saying that he would pledge his Caribbean island resort as collateral for a loan — but was rebuffed.

Last month, Virgin Atlantic announced that it had put together a deal to raise 1.2 billion pounds (nearly $1.6 billion at current exchange rates) from private sources, including 200 million pounds from Branson’s Virgin Group.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, which owns 49% of the airline, agreed to defer payments it was owed, and hedge fund Davidson Kempner agreed to lend Virgin Atlantic 170 million pounds. Virgin Atlantic also delayed deliveries of Airbus jets.

Virgin Atlantic’s court moves follow bankruptcy filings in the U.S. by Latin America’s two biggest airlines, Latam and Avianca, and by Mexico’s Aeromexico since the start of the pandemic. Virgin’s sister airline Virgin Australia filed for protection from creditors in its home country in April.

Airlines have been slammed by the coronavirus outbreak that has led to travel restrictions and left many people afraid to fly. The International Air Transport Association, a trade group for global airlines, estimates the industry will lose $84 billion this year and revenue will drop by half from 2019 levels.

Branson founded and still holds a 10% stake in Virgin Australia, which has announced plans to shed a third of its workforce as it scales back operations as part of its restructuring.

The airline, Australia’s second-largest carrier, sought bankruptcy protection and its administrator Deloitte’s has entered into a binding agreement to sell the airline to Boston-based investment firm Bain Capital. The deal will go within weeks for final approval to a meeting of Virgin creditors who are owed 7 billion Australian dollars ($5 billion).

Virgin Galactic Unveils New Spaceship For Tourists

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

A little more than a year after Richard Branson’s SpaceShipTwo crashed, killing a pilot, his company has revealed a new spaceship, CNNreported. 

The company, Virgin Galactic, has spent more than three years building the new spacecraft, which is located at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California.

READ MORE: Meet Virgin Galactic’s 747 Rocket Launcher

After the vehicle undergoes extensive testing, Branson said average people, rather than astronauts, will be able to travel 50 miles above Earth’s surface, which the company said will make them “bona fide space tourists."

"Our beautiful new spaceship, VSS Unity, is the embodiment of that goal and also a great testament to what can be achieved when true teamwork, great skill and deep pride are combined with a common purpose," Branson said, according to a Virgin Galactic press release. 

READ MORE: Virgin Galactic Space Tourism Ship Crashes

More than 700 people have already signed up to fly on Virgin Galactic. In order to fly with the company, passengers must pay $250,000 per seat in advance.

By AMY COYNE BREDESON 

Travelore News: Virgin Hotels Makes Its Debut In Chicago

World's first Virgin hotel rolls out the red carpet for guests

Today marks a milestone in the history of the Virgin brand with

 Virgin Hotels opening the doors to its first property, Virgin Hotels Chicago. The new hotel brand will join a

 stellar portfolio of hospitality companies led by Virgin Group and its founder Sir Richard Branson, and offer

 the same excitement, heartfelt service and smart innovation that Virgin is known for.

"It's been a long held dream to start beautiful, comfortable, fun hotels for guests and give them what they want

 and need while being gentle on their wallets," said Richard Branson, Virgin Group Founder. "I'm tremendously

 proud of the brilliant Virgin Hotels team, and I look forward to hosting our fans and spending more time in

 Chicago."

Since the brand's inception, eliminating fees and surcharges have been top priority, along with creating an

 experience that allows guests to feel that Virgin Hotels is their place in the city. A champion of the customer,

 the hotel brand offers free Wi-Fi (at unlimited bandwidth) and has eliminated early check-in fees, late check-out

 fees, room service delivery charges, business center transactions, and other services that have caused 

frustration for travelers.

"Chicago is an exhilarating and historic city, and a place we're happy to call home for the first-ever Virgin

 Hotel,"

 said Raul Leal, CEO of Virgin Hotels. "It's an exciting time for our team as we get to unveil our new approach

 to room design, service, and entertainment within the hotel industry. We hope our fans recognize the subtle

 yet authentic Chicago touches throughout the hotel, and come to think of us as their place away from home

 whether they're traveling or a local."

Virgin Hotels Chicago is located in the heart of Chicago's Loop district in the historic Old Dearborn Bank

 Building at 203 N. Wabash Ave. The 26-story Art Deco building, a Chicago landmark, offers 250 guest rooms,

 including 40 one-bedroom suites and two Penthouse Suites.

Several of the building's original features remain intact and are showcased throughout, like a beautiful 1920s

 oak Cigar Bar that serves as the hotel's front desk, ornate brass elevator doors, and the original mail slot and

 chute serving all floors.

At the heart of Virgin Hotels Chicago is The Commons Club, a dynamic space where guests can dine, drink,

 work and mingle, as well as attend the nightly hosted Social Hour. The vibe is one of a private members club,

 without the fees, where guests and locals alike are welcome. The two-story space it occupies was the original

 bank floor with its beautiful coffered plaster ceiling.

The Commons Club menu, created by Chef Rick Gresh, features a variety of internationally influenced small

 plates, from Stuffed Potato Tots to a Cauliflower Caesar to Cider Mussels to a Lobster Flatbread. The dinner

 menus Large Plate options also embody unique and flavorful compositions, like the Fatty Noodles, a delectable

 combination of lobster, udon noodles, Sriracha, furi spice and rapini or the Eye of the Ribeye, Chef Gresh's

 one-of-a-kind black truffle tattoo technique adorned on a Ribeye served with bone marrow mac n cheese. The

 Commons Club is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The hotel will have four additional dining options, including Miss Ricky's, a 23-hour, All-American diner and a

 rooftop bar and lounge, all opening between February and April of this year. Seating from 12 to 108, Virgin

 Hotels Chicago has three modular spaces on the third floor to accompany any type of social event, dinner or

 meeting.

Virgin Hotels Chicago will feature a two-chamber room layout, with small touches that make traveling for 

business or leisure an easier experience. All guest rooms are divided into two spaces by sliding doors,

 complete with a peephole. The dressing room includes a full vanity, make-up desk and mirror, an extra-large

 shower with a bench, and his and hers closets designed by Poliform. Slide open the privacy door and guests

 will enter the lounge with a red SMEG mini-fridge, LG Smart TV, custom designed table that swivels and a

 Poltrona Frau task chair. Tired of searching for an outlet, guests can look no further than their bedside to find

 ample outlets for their smartphone, computer or other electronic devices.

Virgin Hotels has also taken working from bed to another level. The brand's patent pending, ergonomically

 designed bed is the ideal space for setting up shop while on a long business trip, or to pop open your computer

 and stream a movie. Plush bedding rounds out the experience creating ultimate comfort whether guests are

 working, recharging or playing.

What's next?
Virgin Hotels has plans to open a second location in Nashville in the summer of 2016 and a third property in

 New York City in the fall of 2017. The team will announce two additional locations by the end of 2016, as well, 

with the brand hoping to have 20 locations by 2025.

ABOUT VIRGIN HOTELS:
Virgin Hotels is a lifestyle hospitality brand that combines heartfelt service, straightforward value and a

 seamless, personalized hotel experience with the track record of innovation and smart disruption that Sir

 Richard Branson's global Virgin Group has pioneered for over 40 years. Each property will intermix a passion

 for food and beverage with music and culture, fusing with the local landscape and providing a vibrant and

 inclusive environment for travelers and locals, alike. Chicago opened in January 2015, with New York, Nashville

 and others to follow. For more information, please visit www.virginhotels.com.

Travelore News: Sir Richard Branson Shelves Virgin Oceanic Tourist Submarine Project

It is one of the world’s last frontiers and has seen fewer human visitors than the moon. And that – for the time being at least – is how it shall stay.

Sir Richard Branson has shelved plans for a submarine to take tourists to the bottom of Pacific’s Mariana Trench, after technical problems hobbled the grand ambitions of his much-trumpeted Virgin Oceanic project.

The news is a second blow to Branson’s adventurer dreams in a matter of months, after a Virgin Galactic space rocket crashed on a test flight in California’s Mojave Desert, killing a pilot.

Virgin Oceanic’s DeepFlight Challenger was launched in 2011 with the entrepreneur’s familiar fanfare. Under the plans, wealthy passengers or “aquanauts” up would pay up to $500,000 (£318,126) for a five-dive package labeled as “the last great challenge for humans”.

As well as exploring the Mariana Trench – a 36,000ft-deep abyss is deeper than Mount Everest is tall, with access so risky and complicated that it has had just three human visitors since its formation nine million years ago – the submarine was due to dive the Puerto Rico trench 28,000ft below the surface of the Atlantic, the Molloy Deep in the Arctic, South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean and Diamantina trench in the Indian Ocean.

But yesterday the Sunday Telegraph reported that Deepflight, the company contracted to build the submarine, could not support the project because their vehicle could only be safely used for one dive.

The underwater mission appears to have stalled indefinitely. The Virgin Oceanic website – which had promised “five dives, five oceans, two years, one epic adventure” – no longer exists, reportedly taken down earlier this year.

In the time since Branson announced Virgin Oceanic, Titanic director James Cameron has become the first human to travel solo to Mariana Trench in the Deepsea Challenger, a submarine he co-designed. Mr Cameron spent more than three hours at the bottom in 2012, longer than the 20 minutes Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard spent during the only other visit 52 years ago.

A Virgin spokesman confirmed the original plan for five ocean dives using DeepFlight Challenger had been scrapped. “We were not sure [DeepFlight Challenger] would make it down. That project has been put on ice while we look at other technology that works.”

In a statement on the Virgin website, Branson said: “Starting new ventures takes a ‘screw it, let’s do it’ attitude and finding the right partners to help us achieve the unthinkable… However, business is also about knowing when to change tack.

“We are still highly passionate about exploring the bottom of the ocean. However, we are now widening the focus and looking for new technology to help us explore the ocean.”

Branson is still waiting for the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation into last month’s SpaceShipTwo disaster.

Travelore News: Virgin Owner Richard Branson Goes Into Cruise Business

Billionaire Richard Branson is to team up with private investment firm Bain Capital to build two new cruise ships, which will be headquartered in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area of the United States, the business partners said in a joint statement.

The Virgin owner is set up a holiday cruise business, the company said on Thursday, weeks after a fatal crash sent his Virgin Galactic space tourism business reeling.

"We plan to shake up the cruise industry and deliver a holiday that customers will absolutely love," Branson said.

Virgin Group encompasses more than 400 companies in sectors as varied as trains, wines, music labels, mobile phones, airlines and banking.

In the past the company entered new markets by promoting itself as a fresh, upstart rival offering better customer service.

Virgin and Bain did not disclose when their new venture would be started.

Take A Peek Inside The New Virgin Hotels

Hotel Launches Official Website and Animated Video Showcasing Hotel Offerings

Looking to get a peek inside Virgin Hotels? Today, the four-star lifestyle

 brand launches its website and introduces, in true Virgin fashion, a fun animated video, highlighting traveler pain

 points and demonstrating in stark contrast the ways Virgin Hotels will eliminate those frustrations. 

Guests can now make reservations at virginhotels.com for stays starting January 15, 2015. The website uses

 responsive web design, creating an optimal user experience that's interactive, content rich and sparks curiosity.

 Whether guests are browsing the website using their desktop, smart phone or tablet, the site is tailored to the

 device, making all the

 important information easy to reach. 

"Our goal in the creation of Virgin Hotel's website was to clearly differentiate the entire experience from what

 typical hotel websites have been offering up, while also improving upon ease of use," said Doug Carrillo, vice

 president of sales & marketing for Virgin Hotels. "Guests will no longer have to sift through unnecessary or

 irrelevant information. The site will show exactly what guests want to know and helps them find it effortlessly."

Virgin Hotels takes viewers on a playful and humorous journey, illustrating guest obstacles and how the new

 hotel brand will lead the charge by putting guests' comfort, productivity, pockets and needs as top priority. 

Through the video, guests will learn about some of the resolutions Virgin Hotels is bringing to the market,

 including:

• An end to 'nickel and diming.' Free Wi-Fi with no bandwidth restrictions, street level minibar pricing and
•  no hidden fees at check-out
• A pied-a-terre style room that's divided into two chambers allowing for maximum privacy and function
• An app* that controls the room environment, entertainment, service and check-in/out
• Chamber amenities that cater to the female business traveler

"The video goes beyond just a tour of the two chamber concept, it's our anthem for rebellion in the name of the 

guest," said Carrillo. "For too long, guests have put up with hidden or absurd fees for common services,

 outrageous minibar prices and slow Wi-Fi at ridiculous prices. And they've settled for a room that's focused on

 form, rather than function. Virgin Hotels is here to change that and set a new standard."

Virgin Hotels Chicago will be located in the heart of Chicago's Loop district in the historic Old Dearborn Bank

 Building at 203 N. Wabash Avenue. The 27-story Art Deco building, a Chicago landmark designed by C.W. and 

George L. Rapp Architects in 1928, will offer 250 guest rooms, 40 one-bedroom suites and two rock star suites.

 Additionally, the hotel will feature meeting spaces, restaurants, lounges and other public areas that reflect the

 Virgin brand's stylish and functional legacy. 

*The mobile app is slated to launch in late fall of 2014 and will put guests in the captain's chair using their

 personal mobile. Guests will have access via their mobile device to check-in and out of the hotel, order room

 service, control the TV and room setting, plus much more.

ABOUT VIRGIN HOTELS:
Virgin Hotels is a lifestyle hospitality brand that combines heartfelt service, straightforward value and a seamless,

 personalized hotel experience with the track record of innovation and smart disruption that Sir Richard Branson's

 global Virgin Group has pioneered for over 40 years. Each property will intermix a passion for food and beverage

 with music and culture, fusing with the local landscape and providing a vibrant and inclusive environment for

 travelers and locals alike. Chicago will open in December 2014, with New York, Nashville and others to follow.

 For more information, please visit www.virginhotels.com.

Stay connected on all the latest news by following Virgin Hotels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and

 more.

Related Link
http://youtu.be/Qk-iGjyTTSU

Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/150840-VH_Unbrilliant.mp4

Live The Good Life At These Hotels Owned By Celebrities

It’s not your imagination that Hollywood celebrities are closing the gap between on screen and on everything. Slowly but surely, they are taking over the world from brand endorsements to politics – ahem, Obama did you really need to go on ‘Between two Ferns’, and TIME did you really need to put Bey on the cover of your 100 most influential people edition?

Contributed by Daisy Melwani

So it should come as no surprise then to learn that several famous actors, musicians, and athletes also own their own hotels.

Some of these celebrities own hotels in the cities they live in, while others own resorts all over the world. A few famous folks actually own luxury hotels and spas on their own private islands.

Who is the most famous person who owns a hotel? That’s a pretty subjective question but for this post, Donald Trump tops our list. “The Apprentice” mastermind owns hotels in cities all over the world including Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, Toronto, and Panama. Million Dollar Baby actor Clint Eastwood owns the scenic Mission Ranch Hotel in Carmel, California. Taxi Driver actor Robert De Niro owns the Greenwich Hotel in New York City. Actor Robert Redford owns the Sundance Resort in Utah near where he annually holds the Sundance Film Festival.

Only the most elite celebrities own hotels on their own private islands. Entrepreneur Richard Branson owns a hotel on his private island, Necker Island. The Wolf of Wall Street actor Leonardo DiCaprio is developing an eco-friendly hotel with Four Seasons which will be located on DiCaprio’s private island Blackadore Caye.